Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage. Most of such awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year.

3 from Troop 51 make Eagle

Three Scouts from Troop 51 have earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America that a young man can earn.

Troop 51 is sponsored by Jackson United Methodist Church and is led by Troop Leaders Kevin Tomb and Butch Trahan.

Only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earn the Eagle rank. To earn it, a Scout must progress through six ranks, serve in a leadership position within his troop, provide service to the community and earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, of which 12 — in such areas as finance, family, citizenship and personal fitness — are required.

A Scout must also plan, develop and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization, school or community.

Christopher Charles Palm

AGE: 15

SCHOOL: West Feliciana High School

EAGLE PROJECT: Installing a wheelchair swing at Bains Elementary School in St. Francisville in memory of his brother Matthew.

EXTRA: A 10th-grader, he has received the God and Me Award, World Conservation Award, Polar Bear Award, Arrow of Light, Year Round Camping Award, 50 Miler, Triple Crown of High Adventure.

PARENTS: Cedric and Cathy Palm

Dylan Holden DeLee

AGE: 17

SCHOOL: Centreville Academy

EAGLE PROJECT: Re-erecting a fallen grave monument in the Dawson Cemetery in Jackson, where he also repaired other graves and re-did the plot layout and history of the cemetery.

EXTRA: The senior awards and activities include Polar Bear, 50 Miler, National Youth Leadership Training and Triple Crown of High Adventure.

PARENTS: Shane DeLee and Paula DeLee

Clayton Joseph Metz

AGE: 15

SCHOOL: Centreville Academy

EAGLE PROJECT: Erecting a flagpole in the Jackson Cemetery and installing a solar-powered light to shine onto the flag at night.

EXTRA: His awards and activities include God and Me Award, World Conservation Award, Polar Bear Award, Arrow of Light, Year Round Camping Award and National Youth Leadership Training.

PARENTS: Willie and Candy Metz

Hoping to see dolphin Louie

Six fourth-graders at St. James Science and Math Academy in Vacherie are serious about dolphins and hoping to raise enough money to see one they adopted earlier this year from Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Fla.

Visit http://www.dolphins.org. It cost them $200 to adopt Louie the dolphin from the center for one year and they contributed another $100 to help dolphin research.

A trip to Florida to see Louie, will take $6,000, about a third of which has been raised so far, according to Amanda Grubbs, one of the mothers helping the students of Lynn Bolding and Julmarria Jackson.